I'm surprised they only fired once. Don't the police usually magdump in these cases because firing once somehow means you weren't in mortal danger? Or is that just a problem for civilians who find themselves in self-defense situations?
It depends entirely on the cop's level of experience and/or training, along with dept. doctrine. I will say that it takes officers with cool heads on their shoulders, good situational awareness, and a modicum of decent training for it to have only needed a single shot. After the first, auditory (and sometimes stress-induced visual) exclusion happens, along with an adrenaline spike and the tunnel vision that goes with it.
There are a lot of cops (especially rookies, but it can happen to anyone) who swear they only fired once or twice, but in reality shot twice as many rounds, or even almost empty the mag. This is why any time an officer discharges their sidearm, the first thing a supervisor does is collect names, magazines, and a round count with an IA (or union rep) witness; asking "how many rounds did you fire" is merely incidental, and the question is primarily a tactic to help the officer calm down.
Sounds like you've got some first-hand experience. Would you rather be shot or stabbed? I'm morbidly curious about which one hurts worse
My first-hand experience with others being shot comes from being a combat lifesaver (not a medic, but with the same kit & abbreviate medic training)..... and living in some serious 'hoods in my wayward youth.
Being stabbed? That comes from my own carelessness... and seeing people get stabbed while living in some serious 'hoods, after my wayward youth.
And honestly..... shot. You know it when it happens, even if it causes immediate shock. Just the impact is akin to being beaned with a fastball from an AA pitcher, at least. And that's if it
doesn't hit bone. Otherwise it's surprising as fuck, but not immediately incapacitating. The real hurt comes from bruising & swelling later.
The AK round that my plate caught doesn't really count; as it skipped off something beforehand, so some of the energy was expended, but it still left a good welt and a deep bruise for a while later. If anything, that was like being catching one in the ribs from a softball thrown by Bob from accounting, who'd been spending time in a pitching cage.
But being stabbed? Yeah.... not so much; straight punctures are a lot harder to spot, exhibit less pain around the area (until swelling starts), and are difficult to deal with if one causes a large bleed internally.
And holy shit, even if the blade goes shallow and only makes a half-assed salami slice, those generally start to bleed profusely
immediately, and usually the sight of some meat flapping around will take the piss out of most anyone.
